Two Steps
by BlueEyedDayDreamer
Summary: Maka Albarn, the angel of symmetry, loves Death the Kid, the asymmetrical idiot of a shinigami.'-Kid- Snippets of KiddxMaka. NOT a one-shot. Just a bunch of them.
1. First Impressions

So, here we are. I was bored one day, and this suddenly popped into my head. Love the pairing. Also I love reviews, I try to make sure I don't get so OOC. D:

Sometimes I do that…

:D enjoy!!

* * *

No, we would never be perfect. Our feelings towards each other were—since the beginning—mixed. No way of really comprehending what each other was thinking. The desire to, however, was tantalizing to the brain and made one wonder why we were this far apart—and yet we were in love.

No amount of simply pronouncing the statement could ever hope to suffice for what we felt within our hearts. We were in love. Our hearts and minds were drawn to each other naturally, and somehow, we both wanted it to stay that way.

Now, all we had to do was get used to sharing our lives with someone else.

And that took two—count them, two—steps to accomplish.

* * *

Does it make any sense for us to want to change how we met? If you had been there to see the ordeal, you would have wanted to change how it started as well. Here I was, sauntering about like I was all-important and amazing—compared to these brats I was facing, at least—while she stood at the sidelines patiently, watching. Waiting, never taking action, never interrupting—that was Maka Albarn's way.

Of course, did I really care at the time? No, of course not. My concentration was solely belonging to the idiocy of two relative strangers who'd out of nowhere attacked me.

And yet, if it wasn't for these two, would I have been able to meet her? I cannot say. There were a countless number of opportunities, what with her being the daughter of my Honorable Father's weapon, but this happened to be the best at the moment.

How I had failed to notice it at first, I'll never remember. Only when I felt the sense of creeping imbalance, impending asymmetry—it pains me to remember this, really—did I finally succumb to my condition and pass out.

And now I was at home. How did I get here again? My brain was sluggish and my thoughts were muddled. The soft murmur of voices reached my ears slowly, and I blinked twice, trying my best to concentrate on what was being discussed in the next room. The main hall, perhaps?

"Yes, he's alright, really, we've seen this a bunch of times…" Apparently Liz's voice, huffing between phrases, obviously embarrassed.

"I just wanted to make sure, since it was partly my _idiot _weapon's fault that this happened." Another female voice replied, also embarrassed. But there was a hint of anger in her tone. Perhaps toward her '_idiot weapon_'?

I tried to think back to what had happened previously. The amateurs I'd fought with—their names were… Soul and Black*Star. Black*Star was a meister, with Soul acting as his weapon temporarily—this was shown by the lack of a stable wavelength transmission between the two.

Then it hit me. Whoever this was, she had to be Soul's meister. I thought back to the group's battle with Stein. The one holding the scythe—Soul—had been Maka. Death Scythe's daughter.

"Can I at least come inside and see that he's alright?" Maka chided further, apparently very worried about me. But she didn't even know me, so how…?

That was the kindness of Maka Albarn. I was only beginning to understand it myself, and there was so much more to her than just a pretty face. This was one of the things. How could she worry so much about someone—not even properly introduced, she'd only watched me—who she just found out existed only ten minutes ago? It puzzled me deeply and I didn't enjoy the feeling. Not at first.

Now suddenly there were footsteps nearing the room I was in—where was I? Ah, the living room, sprawled onto the couch—and I tensed. Not really the best way for this kind girl to see me.

And oh, did she see me. Her eyes were the first thing that met me when she walked in the doorway, and my gaze was fixated there for some time. I couldn't look away—it was as if my eyes belonged there, or at least wanted to. When I saw a slight waving motion from the girl, I blinked and shook my head, focusing on the entire picture of her face.

Now I noticed it. My eyes widened, and I stared with my mouth probably agape like some sort of fool. But that didn't matter now. Her two—count them, two—pigtails swayed on either side of her head, her features were relaxed, and—the same on either side of her face. Symmetry—perfect, oh so _wonderfully_ perfect symmetry.

She gave me an odd look, and one of her eyebrows raised, and I had to restrain myself from jumping up and moving it back into place somehow.

Liz was behind her, and noticed my reaction. "Kid, what--" Looking at Maka now, she realized my interest. She huffed a breath and explained to the _amazing _girl what I meant by my awkward stare—it was still lingering, but it had faltered a bit with the raising of her eyebrow.

"Kid thinks you're perfectly symmetrical." Liz commented, half-smiling. I could tell she was enjoying the awed behavior towards this girl who was practically a stranger.

Maka's renewed symmetrical glance flickered back to my face and I nodded eagerly, still unable to say anything. "You do…?" She asked. Then her face lit up into the most _beautiful _smile I'd ever seen—still the same on both sides, and yet this ceased to amaze me alone any longer. There was something even behind this _lovely _symmetrical girl that I somehow was intrigued by, even if I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Well, I guess I'm flattered!" The girl grinned walking to kneel next to the couch.

Oh god, don't come any closer, _please._

"My name's Maka Albarn—symmetrical extraordinaire!" She giggled, holding out a hand to me.

"D-D-D…" Why was it that I couldn't say my own name to her…? "Deaththekid." I muttered under my breath, and my cheeks felt hot. I gasped and reached for them, patting them with my cold hands in an attempt to put this strange fire out.

"Well then, Deaththekid," She imitated my tone with a laugh and grabbed my hand from my face, shaking it delicately, only worsening the burning I felt. "I can tell by the red color all over your face that we'll be the best of friends, for sure!"

All in all, it wasn't _that _bad.

But this _wonderful, amazing, beautiful, lovely, _girl was to be so much more than a best friend to me. I didn't know that just then, though.


	2. Worry

Chapter 2!! I think I really like this one, and the gist that this was Kid's fault is kind of cool to me.

Anyway, y'know, whatever. Don't really like how this one ends..

REVIEW! :D

* * *

No, we would never be perfect. Our feelings towards each other were—since the beginning—mixed. No way of really comprehending what each other was thinking. The desire to, however, was tantalizing to the brain and made one wonder why we were this far apart—and yet we were in love.

No amount of simply pronouncing the statement could ever hope to suffice for what we felt within our hearts. We were in love. Our hearts and minds were drawn to each other naturally, and somehow, we both wanted it to stay that way.

Now, all we had to do was get used to sharing our lives with someone else.

And that took two—count them, two—steps to accomplish.

* * *

Maka had this funny way of making everyone close to her get worried sick when she was away. Or was that only me? I hoped not, because then I'd have no explanation to why I was feeling this way about her.

Only a couple of days had passed since our first meeting—awkward as it may have been on my part—and I hadn't spoken to her again. This bothered me, and yet I couldn't figure out _why._

Now, stepping towards me with her awkward grace was Maka. My heart caught in my throat—I had forgotten this feeling with the time that had elapsed since that day we met—and I choked out an awkward "Hello, Maka."

"Ah, Kid-kun," She had already taken to calling me by my nickname—most likely she learned it from those around me, Liz or Patti, perhaps. "I was thinking of taking this mission, the one in Italy?" She held up a flyer for an extra lesson to be taken. I had now learned of their previous failure in the Blair incident.

"Yeah, Maka's been dragging me to every mission now ever since we lost all our souls…" Soul, her weapon, piped up from behind, coming into view now. He yawned to prove his point. "I'm so tired."

Throwing a quick glare of disapproval Soul's way—making him shrug and roll his eyes—Maka turned to me once more. "Do you think we should do it?" She asked me.

Why was she so bent on getting my consent? Was I really that all-knowing? I guess she assumed so, what with me being Shinigami's son and all. That _is _what most people thought of me at first—myself included in that group.

Trying to sound as sure of myself as possible, I smiled slightly, making Liz and Patti both widen their eyes. Perhaps they weren't used to seeing me smile? Strange, I thought I smiled enough. "Yes, definitely." I said simply, looking her straight in the eyes as to avoid noticing the obvious symmetry of her.

That is why I blame myself, time and time again, for what happened.

Liz always tried to support me by asking, '_How were you supposed to know the ma-ken was going to be there? And the witch as well? Heck, I don't even think you knew Maka had soul perception abilities until now. You didn't think she'd sense the soul wavelengths, you couldn't have known, Kid!'_

Regardless, I had put her in an intense amount of danger with two—count them, two—words I'd said to her that day. '_Yes, definitely.' _They rang in my head again and again like the toll of a church bell on a funeral day.

And then I learned that she blamed _herself _for what happened.

It was maybe a day or two after the incident, and the nightmares of what had happened—they'd been described to me by Maka—were just starting to cease, when something renewed them again.

There she was. Just outside of Soul's hospital room, sulking. I approached slowly, curious, even though I had already predicted the reason just by where she was standing. "Maka-chan,"—we were getting onto more friendly terms with each other now, so I allowed myself to call her this—"are you alright? Is something… The matter?" I asked, concerned.

And why was I so concerned? She was only this _human _girl, who I only saw occasionally. But, on those occasions I felt so happy, so wanted, so appreciated, that I—no, I needed to stop thinking that way. That little dark corner in my soul that strived for appreciation would take over and I'd just end up reminding myself of my—no, no, I was going to think it, someone stop me—hair. My _asymmetrical _hair.

I started breathing heavier. This was one of the times when it got _bad. _The desire to curl myself into a ball and die all alone was creeping up on me fast.

But when she looked up at me—oh, dear shinigami, when she looked up at me—I was pulled back down to earth, or rather pulled back up to the surface of it at least. Her face—so somber and forlorn, the emotion itself in all of its beauty—had taken my breath away. Now that it was so close—so very tantalizingly close that I could reach out and stroke each _perfect _pigtail—I couldn't look away. My cheeks blazed and I wanted desperately for her to answer—just to break the awkward silence that had settled over us like a fog.

"It—it's my fault, isn't it?" She asked me, in a small voice.

Maka didn't have a small voice—not normally. But it wasn't big—not like Black*Star's, and not drawling—like Soul's. It was plainly—Maka.

And this concerned me even deeper. When I heard those words, my hand almost automatically shot out to catch her shoulder, and I shifted uncomfortably to my other foot—she had actually gone red as well?

I held her there, and I felt the shaking of her shoulders slow gradually and eventually stop. Then, out of sheer tiredness, she dropped into my arms, throwing her entire weight onto me at once.

"Maka, you-" I gasped, catching her mid-fall. '_That was close…'_ I thought, then realizing what was going on, I almost dropped her again, feeling heat rise all the way to my scalp.

How come I was so worried about her…?

Only time could ever tell, I suppose.


	3. Study

No, we would never be perfect. Our feelings towards each other were—since the beginning—mixed. No way of really comprehending what each other was thinking. The desire to, however, was tantalizing to the brain and made one wonder why we were this far apart—and yet we were in love.

No amount of simply pronouncing the statement could ever hope to suffice for what we felt within our hearts. We were in love. Our hearts and minds were drawn to each other naturally, and somehow, we both wanted it to stay that way.

Now, all we had to do was get used to sharing our lives with someone else.

And that took two—count them, two—steps to accomplish.

* * *

'_Three days until the super written exam left!' _The words entered my ears and went right out the other side promptly. Did this test really apply to me? No, I was a shinigami, and I already knew everything there was to know about souls. That wasn't what troubled me. It was Liz and Patti's grades that concerned me. I knew that they'd have to work a lot harder at the subject if they were to get an acceptable percentage on this—no less than an 80%, I'd told them sternly.

Yes, yes, I'd heard the rumor that whoever placed first got to become a Death Scythe, but I highly doubted it.

With only three days left, the back of my brain was telling me to study, but I shushed it with a harsh '_I don't need to study, I've got this down.' _That was about the time when Maka approached me, seeking help.

"Kid-kun, you're a shinigami, you know about this stuff, right?" She asked me, and it was a while until I could answer—I was lost in the green pools that were her beautiful eyes.

"Of course." I replied shortly. I thought back to who else was available to help her. Soul was out, definitely, and Tsubaki would be busy with Black*Star.

Darn it, I was going to have to be alone with Maka. The thought made my cheeks burn and I didn't know why, still. It confused and almost scared me.

"I _really _need to place first on this test, so do you think you can help me out after school maybe?" Maka asked, and I was beginning to think that this wasn't such a bad idea.

After all, there was something I needed to tell her.

"Yes, I think that'd be nice. Could I come over to your house, then? Around five?" I asked, trying desperately to stop the burning in my face.

When I reached my mansion, there were still two—count them, two—grueling hours left for me to wait until I could leave for Maka and Soul's home.

"Kid, _please _stop pacing. It's driving me nuts, really." Liz whined from the couch, not looking up from her fashion magazine she was reading. Her eyes, half-lidded, stared down into the shades of pink and rose without breaking concentration. She flipped the page now, looking up this time, as I still had not stopped my frantic walking.

"Kid. Honestly? Calm down, and tell me what's wrong. You've been walking around like that for half an hour now." She said, concerned. When I met her gaze, she raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. Then she proceeded to pat the space on the couch next to her for me to sit.

Uh, oh. Nothing like a pep talk from Liz.

I looked up at her with my best innocent act, raising my eyebrows more than usual and loosening my furrowed features. "What?"

She gave me a sarcastic look, and huffed shortly. "Tell me." She responded.

"It's nothing…" I saw her face and cringed. "Oh, alright, alright. It's Maka."

At this her eyes widened and I could tell she was beginning to get curious.

"Liz, what… What does it feel like," I started, unsure of what to say next. After an awkward pause, I continued, "to be in love?"

"Oh, I wouldn't know, I didn't have time to fall in love really, what with living on the streets for so long and all…" Liz responded, frowning. But I could tell that there was a hint of excitement in her tone. Perhaps she had known about this before?

I momentarily felt bad for the girl. Almost sixteen of her years on this Earth had been wasted with petty survival and tobacco clouded alleys. I knew she respected me for 'saving' her from that life, and who knows what her outcome could have been, had she stayed…

I shook these thoughts away, looking at the clock. 4:45! I leapt to my feet, and all in a fluster I kissed Liz on the cheek on my way out. Turning red instantly, as I was leaving, I saw her holding her hand there, a look of murder in her eye. I merely threw her an apologetic grin and ran out the door, making haste to get to Maka.


	4. Commemoration

…NO COMMENT :D

* * *

No, we would never be perfect. Our feelings towards each other were—since the beginning—mixed. No way of really comprehending what each other was thinking. The desire to, however, was tantalizing to the brain and made one wonder why we were this far apart—and yet we were in love.

No amount of simply pronouncing the statement could ever hope to suffice for what we felt within our hearts. We were in love. Our hearts and minds were drawn to each other naturally, and somehow, we both wanted it to stay that way.

Now, all we had to do was get used to sharing our lives with someone else.

And that took two—count them, two—steps to accomplish.

* * *

"Patti, get moving! The party will start without us, you know!" I nagged—was I nagging? It felt like it, but oh well—to the blonde girl, frowning deeply. I glanced fervently at my watch, and I saw the minute hand had moved little to none, but that didn't matter now, timing was key, and a set time was even more important.

At this rate, everyone was going to be there before us.

A couple more words of 'encouragement' to my partners to hurry up was enough to get the message through, and they were done in a matter of five minutes. I hastened out the door shortly after, almost forgetting them back at the mansion.

They caught up with me soon enough, we were at Shibusen in no time.

I was in such a hurry not only because of the strict—as it was to me—start time, but also because I was waiting for someone to arrive.

"No! Stop fidgeting, stand up straight. Look forward, and quit moving around, what did I just tell you!?" I was directing my weapons, until I heard familiar voices behind me.

I turned to see Soul, Black Star, Tsubaki, and… Maka. I was taken aback for a moment, seeing the dress she was wearing. _Beautiful. _And yet still _somehow _she was perfectly symmetrical. I could feel the uncomfortable heat build in my cheeks again, and for the umpteenth time I racked my brain to know what it meant. I'd have to remind myself—again—to ask Liz about that. And also why it also made the girl giggle—why?

My thoughts strayed to something chichiue had informed me of earlier, as Patti and Liz were greeting the rest of the gang. This '_kishin that is the closest' _was just beneath us? Could that really be true? And if it was, would I ever feel safe in this place again? Could the safety of everyone else be guaranteed, as well? The safety of my friends, my weapons—Maka.

Why, oh, _why, _did my thoughts always trail off towards her? It was eating me apart, really, and I couldn't think straight. Just the previous day I had gone without noticing that my shinigami emblem was tilted to the left a couple of centimeters—something that usually would have registered with me in a split-second.

She was all over the place in my mind, even when she was a world away in reality. _Why_?

I realized that I was quite 'zoned-out', as Black Star had often described it, and Maka's words of concern were all that could pull me out of my trance of sorts. I shook my head quickly, trying to regain my senses, what with the heat still burning at my face.

I reassured her with a couple of words that I can't even remember—I was too flustered—and welcomed the rest of the group along with her.

I could feel her eyes on me as they made their way into the celebration hall.

After a grueling speech made by my father—only about a sentence or two—I was approached again by my partners.

"Ne, ne, Kitto~" I heard Patti's voice before I saw her blonde hair bouncing into view. "We wanna dance!"

"Alright, but we have to do this properly, okay? Follow my lead." I instructed, and we started into a—somewhat perfect, to my dismay—dance that attracted a lot of attention. Unwanted or not, it had caught Maka's eye.

I was ranting on and on about the angle at which the girls should raise their legs, when I spotted out of the corner of my eye, Maka, laughing lightly at the scene. I went red instantly again, but seeing the smile on Maka's face made me start laughing as well, and the dancing went on. Patti and Liz seemed to enjoy my suddenly joyful mood, and took advantage of it, changing to a different dance almost immediately.

Now was my chance. Here we were, the three of us, and no one was really listening to us anyway, so I leaned over to Liz, and whispered, "Liz, watch this." Then I glanced over at the retreating figure of Maka, her pigtails and longer section of hair flowing quite beautifully now. The heat in my face returned, and my hands became clammy. "Now what was that…?" I asked Liz warily, happy that I was going to get an answer.

"You were all red in the face, that's what." Liz said, and the phrase, _thank you, captain obvious _rang through my mind.

I shook my head. "No, no, I know that, but why is it that way?"

"You mean you don't know?"

I shook my head again.

And at this, Liz started laughing. "Seriously? How naïve can you be? It's called blushing, Kid-kun. It happens when you're embarrassed."

"But," I was not receiving the answer I was hoping for, this didn't make sense. "I'm not embarrassed, nothing is really worth being embarrassed over right now, is there?" I asked, and suddenly she understood.

"It can also be because… You _like _someone." She answered knowingly.

_Like_. A childish term I would have expected from someone else, maybe her sister. "So, I _like _Maka?" I asked.

Liz laughed. "Yeah, I think you do. Why don't you ask her to dance, huh, Kid-kun?"

"Uhuh, I suppose I should…" I trailed off, looking in the direction of Maka's leave.

She was approaching Soul. This wouldn't normally have bothered me so much, but… There was a hideous feeling—nausea perhaps? No, this was more… What was the word? —creeping up inside of me. My skin prickled defensively, and I mumbled a swear.

"Whoa. What was _that._" I breathed, looking, dumbfounded, at Liz, again hoping for answers.

She chuckled again. "_That, _my naïve little friend, would be _jealousy._"

Liz had a funny way of telling how a person was feeling, even in the strangest situations.


	5. Prince

5 – Prince – 5

How could this have happened? Just a while ago, this had been a lively party—if not somewhat distracted by other things—and now suddenly we were fighting for our lives, deep in the basements of Shibusen. We had learned of the Kishin, and that Medusa's group was aiming to revive the evil being once more, after all of this time. That had to be stopped, I knew this. I had just managed to break free of Medusa's vector arrows, hearing the calls of determination behind me.

I yelled for Maka and Black Star, making sure they knew I had passed.

Then the cries and zaps faded into the background, and I was rolling along at high-speed in complete silence. It was broken eventually by one of my weapons, Liz.

"So, you just left her back there?"

I almost stopped moving, but my mission required me to push onward, despite the shock Liz had given me. I _had._ But those were Stein's orders, he had _told _us to split up at first, right? So what I was doing didn't put her in danger, I could trust Stein's judgment… Right?

It seemed as if Liz was waiting for an answer, and so I shook my head and replied, "I was supposed to. Stein's plan requires it, for the moment."

"And that's okay with you?" What was Liz trying to do, drive me insane? At this rate, I was going to turn right back around to help her!

"Maka is strong. I'm sure she'll be able to make it out of there alive. I'm sure of it." I said. In my mind, I was only half-assured of this. What would I do if Medusa's arrows were indeed too much for the girl that I so admired? How on _Earth _would I cope?

I momentarily glanced down to see Patti's face in the reflection of the pistol. "Tsk, tsk, Kiddo-kun, you're not a very good boyfriend, are ya?" She teased, in a singsong voice—very childish.

"What?" I asked, eyebrows lowering into a glare. "Boyfriend? Patti, please, try not to be so… Immature." I realized what I was asking of _her, Patti, _and I sighed. "I guess it can't be helped. I'm not _really _her _boyfriend_. I just…" I quickly remembered the word Liz had used to describe it, hoping Patti would understand. "_Like _her."

"No, Kiddo-kun, the prince is _supposed _to turn around and help his fair princess without even _thinking _about it! True _love _can't even be stopped by _rules! Come on, _Kiddo!" The girl said, whining now.

I saw Liz nod. '_Ugh. Why me.' _I thought.

"Can you tell me just _how many _fairytales you've been reading to her, Liz?" I asked, frowning.

"About one every night, before she goes to bed. Helps her get to sleep." Liz shrugged.

I sighed. "I see that _you _have come to believe in them, _also._"

"What? Who, me? Nah, that stuff's for little kids, not for a mature _adult _like me…" She was blushing now.

'_Nice.' _I thought.

"Girls, I hate to burst your bubble, but you can't really always rely on fairytale logic like that. I _can't _go back there, as a shinigami, as a student of DWMA, as a _person._" I stated.

And that ended the conversation for now.


	6. Summer

6 – Summer – 6

And how could I forget the first day of summer? It was a time to be treasured, a time to come out of your shell and just be yourself. For everyone else, at least. I clutched at my arm, frowning. _'Ouch.'_

Yes, I had fallen, but it was for a good reason, right?

I was in the library, searching for a new book, possibly one on symmetry. I had worn a T-shirt that day—rare as that was—simply because of the change of seasons. It almost made me feel like I was _obligated _to. Anyway, I had climbed the ladder—this book was really high up, huh—and was reaching for the one I wanted.

I'm such an idiot.

I lost my footing, and slipped off of the ladder, landing maybe ten feet under me. _'Oh my god. If that had been __**anyone**_ _else...' _I thought, sitting up slowly, rubbing my head. My arm felt oddly wet. _'You've __**got**__to be kidding me.' _I looked at it reluctantly, and sure enough, blood. Not a lot, but enough to concern me, just a bit.

I hurried to the bathroom, clutching the injured arm. _'Come __**on**__...' _I groaned in my head, seeing the wound fully now. My eyes widened. I began cleaning it with some tissue, until it had finally stopped bleeding. Looking in the mirror again, it still left a reddened line on the inside of my arm.

_'No.' _I blinked suddenly, noticing it now. _Asymmetry._ I rushed into one of the stalls, heaving up vomit. _'Great, what should I do __**now**__?' _I thought, and I left the bathroom with a bad taste in my mouth.

"Oi, Kid!"

_'Not now... Please.'_

I looked up, seeing Soul approaching me. "Whoa, man, you don't look so great. Your arm—" He started.

I shook my head furiously. "No, no, I'm fine. Go on, what were you saying?" I asked, forcing a smile. _'Did he have to mention it?'_

"Uh... Well, Maka's dragging everyone to the beach to 'kick off' the summer. She wanted me to ask you if you were coming or not." Soul explained, huffing a breath. He always acted huffy about Maka's actions, but I could tell he had a good friendship with her, nonetheless.

"Oh, definitely." Soul had barely finished his sentence before I answered.

"Nice. Well, we were just about to leave, so c'mon." Soul said, pointing over his shoulder. Now I saw everyone waving and grinning.

_'Now...?'_ "Oh, o-okay." I responded, following him down the hallway.

"Kid-kun~!" Before I knew it, Maka's arm was intertwined with mine, and she was beaming up into my face—not to mention my face also became beet red.

"M-Maka-chan." I smiled, feeling the effect of her positive attitude to it's fullest.

She had seen me wince—she'd grabbed my injured arm—and frowned, letting go as we walked. She looked down at the cut, and gasped. "Kid-kun, what happened? Are you okay?" She asked, concerned.

I had hoped not to bring it up again. "Yes, I'm fine really, I just fell off the ladder in the library." I chuckled, trying to make a joke out of it.

Maka was not satisfied with that answer, but she held my hand nonetheless, walking ahead. _'Oh my god.' _Suddenly, I realized it. _'I'm... M-Maka's...—Maka, the symmetrical girl of my dreams—Maka's boyfriend...!!' _Time was suddenly moving to fast and I had to heave a breath before I could catch up with it again.

The girl gazed up at me with admiring, gleaming eyes, and smiled again, bringing me up to speed—with my own life. _'I... Can't believe this. She loves me. __**Loves **__me. Not __**like,**__ not __**admire**__, but __**loves **__me. Maka Albarn, the angel of symmetry, __**loves **__Death the Kid, the asymmetrical idiot of a shinigami.' _I was beginning to feel as if I didn't deserve this.

"Look, I can see the beach!" Tsubaki Nakatsukasa, Black Star's weapon, called from ahead.

"Ah, that water sure does look cool..." Soul smirked from next to me, as the beach came into view.

The waves lapped the sandy shore slowly, and I felt the sun's rays resting, but not affecting, my bare arms. Strangely, with wind blowing my bangs about, the smell of sea-salt in my nostrils, and the noise of my calling classmates, the presence of Maka—so obvious next to me—I felt completely, and absolutely at ease. A feeling the likes of which I had never known before in my life.

I was brought back to real life quite abruptly as I felt cold splatter all the way from the back of my head, to my waist. "_Gah!_" I sputtered, turning on my heel, ready to give a glare to whoever was there. Maka stuck her tongue out at me, holding up a—now empty—bucket.

My rage faded in an instant and I laughed, walking up to her slowly. One of my wet hands ran it's way almost automatically through her bangs, and soon the other did as well. I couldn't stop myself. She looked up at me with a surprised but pleased look on her face. My forehead touched hers suddenly, and both of my hands were tangled in her pigtails, my lips touching hers softly, both of our bodies shaking violently. I brought my lips away to smile against her bangs, and she giggled, her breath taken away.

I had to say, mine had been as well.

"Oi, get a _room!_" Black Star sneered from the water's edge, and I realized that everyone had been watching.

They all began laughing, and we both went red. Soon, we were all laughing together, and the sun shone down upon us lightly, illuminating the water in it's yellow glow.

"Ah, Kid-kun, you're bleeding on me."

I blinked twice. Oh. Yeah, my arm. I must have opened the cut again. I moved it away from her back, and she heaved a breath. "Take better care of yourself." She said teasingly, and reached in her back pocket to put a bandage around it. "There." She stood there for a moment, observing her work. "Just a sec." She wrapped another piece of bandage around my other, non-injured arm. "Hah, now it's _symmetrical._"

I gasped, looking back and forth between my two arms again and again. Then I drew her close to me once more, holding her lightly. "Arigatou gozai mas..." I whispered into her ear, laughing.


	7. Imprisonment

This is just what I think SHOULD have happened before the insanity thing with Kid. SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT READ TO CHAPTER 71!

7 – Imprisonment – 7

The swift punches to the stomach came again and again like the beat of a pain-filled drum. I cringed away time after time, only to be met with the onslaught of fists, back and forth, on and on… It was driving me insane.

I choked up blood, looking into the heartless, gray eyes of my attacker. He smirked at me, and punched me once again, momentarily knocking the wind out of me.

If only I hadn't been so careless.

My attacker—named Gopher—was summoned over by his master—named Noah—and they commenced to discuss plans. I could overhear it just barely, and I listened intently.

"Noah-sama, when do I get to take out that wretched Maka Albarn?" I heard Gopher asking impatiently.

My entire body tensed and I felt the hair on the back of my neck prickle defensively. I tried to listen harder.

"Soon, Gopher. Soon. She has the Soul Perception ability—meaning that it could be to the advantage of Shibusen in the quest for seeking Asura. We must destroy her at all costs." Noah answered.

I hissed a curse under my breath, and both heads turned to look at me. So they saw me.

"What was that, _shinigami_?" Gopher asked in a mocking tone. "You don't _like _the terms of our plan?"

"No." I said through gritted teeth.

"So you're mad that we're going to find Asura before—" Gopher started.

"No, Gopher. That's not it. This Maka Albarn," Noah was approaching me now, and I held my breath against the fear rising in me, "you know her?"

"No." I lied, "I am merely against the discovery of Asura by _you_."

Noah shook his head slowly. "If you don't tell the truth, _shinigami_, there will be _consequences._"

As if there weren't enough when I didn't deserve it.

"I do know her." I said, almost automatically. My will had definitely been reduced in the time I was imprisoned—how long had it been? I'd lost track of time.

Noah's eyes brightened. "Ah, I knew it," He paused for a moment before continuing, "How do you know her?"

"She was one of my classmates back at Shibusen." I explained, and Noah gave me a look that said, _that is insufficient, boy._ I cringed, and went on, "A scythe-meister. Partner, Soul Evans. She has a girigori soul, and soul perception. She is the daughter of the current Death Scythe. And my…" I gulped, feeling a lump rise in my throat. I swallowed it and continued, "Love."

This made Gopher burst into laughter. "Now I see why you were so peeved when we said we would kill her!" He was laughing very hard, "Oh, the great son of _shinigami _is in _lo~ve_!" He was really getting a kick out of the fact.

Noah silenced him, "Quiet Gopher." Gopher stopped laughing. "I see," He said, turning to me now. "This is what bothers you so greatly. Petty feelings for someone of a different _species._" He turned now to Gopher. "Let us go, to leave this _lovesick_ creature to his thoughts." With a wave of his hand, I was back inside the book of Eibon.

And that was the last time I was _sane _in that world. In reality. In life.


	8. Freedom

Post-saved Kid. :D

8 – Freedom – 8

I opened my eyes slowly. My head throbbed and I felt as if I had been running for miles. Had I been? I couldn't tell now.

There was a noise, only a slight one, and it kept repeating itself over and over again.

"'Ey… 'Ey… 'Ey, you…"

"Uhhh…?" My voice drawled with drowsiness and I felt a slight poke at my shoulder, which made me instantly regain feeling. I tensed, realizing that I was on cold cement. My arms were scratched immensely, and my sleeves were missing. What could have happened? All I remembered were those last few words from the evil entity inside of the book of Eibon… And then it all went black, like a hole in my memory.

"'Ey, get up…"

"What…?" I still hadn't completely come to. I looked up to see whomever it was that was bothering me.

A pair of inquisitive brown eyes met me full in the face and I jumped, sitting up immediately. This only sent another shock of pain in my legs, and I grasped them, cursing.

"'Ey, calm down…" It was a girl, and she spoke in a strange accent I didn't recognize. "And what would you be doing out in the streets, an' all?" Now I understood. It was a British accent, and I shook my head, having not heard the words. The girl with the brown doe eyes raised an eyebrow, and it was a while before I could respond, for the throbbing in my throat of thirst.

"I'm sorry, I didn't really hear you. What was that?" I tried being as polite as possible, in my current state.

"Well, I was just asking what you we' doing 'ere on the side of the road, sir." The girl said, smiling.

"Um… I'm not sure, to be honest. Where am I?" I said, holding my forehead in pain.

"You're at the southernmost point of Death City, sir." She spoke in a very formal tone, now. "You… By any chance, are you the Honorable Son of Shinigami-sama?"

So that was why she was using this way of speech.

"Yes, actually." I replied, standing up. I noticed that the girl was much shorter than me, as she stood up as well. "May I ask who you are?"

"Amelia, weapon at Shibusen, sir, and-"

"Don't call me sir, call me Death the Kid. Or Kid, if you prefer…"

"Kid then, an' I stopped on my way there because you looked an awful lot like you needed 'elp."

"How old are you, if you don't mind my asking?"

She grinned up at me, and I noticed that one of her teeth was missing, freckles lining her face. "I'll be nine-and-a-'alf next month." She replied.

'_Ah, so that's why she's so short.'_

"Alright then, Amelia, can you please take me back to Shibusen? I don't believe I can make it on my own, in this state." I said, smiling.

This struck a chord with the girl. She blushed a little, and giggled. "Alrigh'y then, Mr. Kid!" She laughed.

I couldn't really revel in the pleasantness of the childish behavior for long, because it had reminded me of something. Patti. Liz, and Patti, where were they? Why wasn't I back in that dreadful book? How had I gotten out? The blush remaining on Amelia's face reminded me of yet another thing. Maka, where was she? Had I been too late to save her? Had Gopher and Noah carried out their sinister plot?

"'Ere we are, sir—I mean, Kid." Amelia giggled, grinning the same smile as before.

There was a noise of sharp footsteps racing down the stairway of Shibusen.

"Ooh, who's that? She's quite pretty, 'm?" Amelia said, pointing in the direction of the footsteps.

I looked up immediately, but not in time before I was collided into by a moving object. The force almost knocked me backwards, but I regained my balance quickly.

"Kid-kun…" A shaky voice was saying, and repeating over and over.

I recognized the feel of tears on my shirt, and the brown pigtails dug deep into my chest. _'Maka is here,' _I repeated the thought again and again, until I was full to the brim with happiness. So my captors had been unsuccessful in their endeavors. I leaned my face into the top of her head, breathing in her beautiful scent that I'd almost had a withdrawal of in all of these weeks. _'She's here…' _I told myself yet another time, and bliss overflowed me at every corner of my being. This was the sort of thing that was described to you in fairytales. The sort of reunion only those in true love were worthy of, after a long time apart.

There was suddenly a feeling of release, a feeling as if a strand had been cut in the back of my mind. I felt Amelia's presence now strong and frightening. A witch? No, this was different than a witch. I could feel Maka tense in my arms, and the sobs and shaking of her shoulders ceased altogether, as she drew away from me. I watched in amazement as she glared behind me at the little girl, with a look of murder.

"Maka, she's only a little girl, so why are you…" I slowed my speech as Maka's eyes widened in terror, now looking straight at me. "What…?" I asked warily.

Maka stared in horror and disbelief, seemingly right into my face. "No… No…" Her hand was over her mouth now, and tears were once again forming at her eyes. "Kid-kun, no! What did she do to you!"

Another strand was cut loose, just as I was about to respond. Maka's eyes once more widened, until she looked terrified enough to have a stroke right then and there. Suddenly I could not move, and I could not speak.

"It was nothin'." I found myself saying. '_What happened to grammar,' _I thought, surprised. I didn't usually speak this way—not ever. "Only the best thing ever, hm, Amelia? Free of rules, free of guilt, free of fear… That is true order—true balance."

Another strand. This one I could have sworn had the word _sanity _printed on it. This sent my mind into a panic, but it was soon replaced by… The most amazing, wonderful, joyous feeling in the world. I was completely at ease. Nothing bothered me. There was nothing to fix, nothing to tidy, nothing to adjust, nothing to make symmetrical, because it was _all _symmetry. Balance. _Perfect _balance. And I never wanted it to end. Insanity. The feeling not only comforted me, but gave me a sense of _confidence. _I could have taken out anything or anyone in just one punch at the moment. _'Give me two seconds in the ring with any moron and I'll mess 'im up, good.'_ I thought, grinning.

Maka was backing away now, and that gave me the right—in my mind—to move forward to meet her halfway. "Now, now, where are you goin', Maka?" I asked in a somewhat teasing tone.

Her back stiffened and she let out a small "Away from here." That, I guess, was trying to sound fearless. But she was still afraid. She reeked of it, and I could see it in her eyes, in the frantic pounding of her soul.

I heard a snap of fingers, and I was suddenly aware of everything. Of all of the faults of the world. Every _single _one of them. I dropped to my knees now, shuddering with the intense nausea this thought brought on. The girl, Amelia, was clapping now, slowly, smiling in an odd way. She stepped toward me, as I sat there, still trembling, and her face changed. Sort of disfigured itself. And it had made itself into the spitting image of Asura. I backed away, using my hands as support for my crawling effort to escape.

I opened my clenched eyes and I was back in Maka's arms, the girl still behind us. Had that all been an illusion? Most likely. Whatever Noah had done to me that last time in the book had messed me up.

"Maka…" I breathed, trying to forget the images I had just seen. "Maka, I missed you _so much_…" I was barely able to describe this with words. "I love you, Maka. _I love you. _I love you now _more than ever_." I moved her face from my chest, and wiped her sweaty bangs from her forehead softly. I stared into her dark green eyes with a feeling I had never known. The feeling of imminent relief. "Don't cry, you're _beautiful_ as ever, and I'm back now. I'm back, and I'll see to it that you never have to cry again, if only for tears of joy." I smiled, laughing slightly.

Her mouth turned up into the smile I had so missed all of this time. "Kid-kun, I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you. Oh, I can't wait to tell the others! Patti and Liz will be _so _excited to hear that you're okay! And I have to tell you about everything that's been going on here! Oh, Death the Kid, I _love _you!" Tears were welling up again, but this time they were of pure and unbridled joy.

This is what I had longed to see all of this time. To see her happy, to see her again _at all_.

But how long would this last until I became insane…?


End file.
